1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to connector terminations for semi-rigid coaxial cable.
2. The Prior Art
The electrical industry utilizes semi-rigid coaxial cable in high performance RF applications. Use of such cables, however, has been limited because of the difficulty in achieving cable end termination. The solid, semi-rigid sheath of the coaxial cable, usually made of copper, makes it difficult to establish connectorized contact therewith without degrading electrical performance at the junction. While there are effective connectors available within the industry for this purpose, such connectors are generally expensive to produce, of multi-piece design, and employ costly labor intensive procedures to achieve cable end termination. One state-of-the-art procedure consists of pre-knurling the coaxial cable sheath, and subsequently crimping a copper connector sleeve thereto. While this approach achieves effective results, pre-knurling requires time, and inherently involves considerable variability due to sheath hardness variation, cable diameter variation, and metal build-up on the knurling tool. Another procedure for making connectorized contact with the outer cable sheath is by way of solder; however, soldering also entails shortcomings due to the excessive time required to effect a termination, and the inherent necessity of controlling the narrow temperature range required to effect a good joint to semi-rigid cable. Too low a temperature will form a weak "cold" solder joint; too high a temperature will cause excessive expansion and protrusion of the cable dielectric at the mating interfaces.